The Inter-State Council (ISC) is a constitutional body and an institutional mechanism established to promote coordination and cooperation between the Union and State Governments in India. Its origin lies in Article 263 of the Constitution, which empowers the President to establish such a council if it appears that the public interest would be served. The ISC was formally constituted on May 28, 1990, through a Presidential Order, acting on the recommendation of the Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State Relations (1983–1988), which sought a permanent forum to resolve inter-governmental issues and strengthen cooperative federalism.
The Council's mechanism is advisory and recommendatory, with its duties defined by the Presidential Order under Article 263. Its functions include investigating and discussing subjects of common interest between the Union and one or more States, as specified in Article 263(b), and making recommendations for better coordination of policy and action, as per Article 263(c). The Prime Minister serves as the Chairperson, and its members include the Chief Ministers of all States and Union Territories with legislative assemblies, Administrators of UTs without legislative assemblies, and six Union Cabinet Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister. The Council is supported by a Standing Committee, set up in 1996, and the Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS), established in 1991. The ISC connects directly to the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission and is distinct from the judicial adjudication of inter-state disputes by the Supreme Court under Article 131 or tribunals for water disputes under Article 262. The Presidential Order of 1990 has been amended, including a change in 1996 to allow the Chairman to nominate permanent invitees from among other Union Ministers.